The story of Admiral Canaris is worthy of the finest writer of espionage fiction, and then some. The corrosive operation of the many parts of Nazi Germany created scope for the most complex betrayals as departmental leaders fought for supremacy. This is a ripping yarn that should not be missed.
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NAME: Canaris, The Life and Death of Hitler's Spymaster FILE: R2451 AUTHOR: Michael Mueller PUBLISHER: Pen & Sword BINDING: soft back PAGES: 368 PRICE: £14.99 GENRE: Non Fiction SUBJECT: WWII, World War Two, World War 2, German Intelligence, NSDP, Nazi, counter intelligence, intelligence, SD, Himmler, Hitler, Gestapo, betrayal, patriot ISBN: 1-47389-433-6 IMAGE: B2451.jpg BUYNOW: http://tinyurl.com/z93pow8 LINKS: DESCRIPTION: The story of Admiral Canaris is worthy of the finest writer of espionage fiction, and then some. The corrosive operation of the many parts of Nazi Germany created scope for the most complex betrayals as departmental leaders fought for supremacy. This is a ripping yarn that should not be missed. Hitler believed in creating tension and conflict between his subordinates, believing that this would achieve the best results, while preventing any individual from becoming a direct personal threat to him. The results were not to match his expectations. A great deal of resource was destroyed as rivals fought each other for dominance and it contributed to Germany's eventual defeat. However the Canaris story is in a league of its own and may never be fully told with any accuracy. That is not a failure of historians because even the Admiral's own staff and close colleague ever really understood what his aims were or what he was doing. Historians have probably added to the confusion because they have often made guesses to achieve some sort of plausible conclusion. An enigma and one time U-boat commander, Canaris did not appear to have any special abilities to run Germany's main intelligence agency. He spoke little, kept his cards very close to his chest, and listened with great care. When looked at from that perspective, he was an ideal spy and spy master. The author has worked hard to navigate through the labyrinthine story that was the life and death of Canaris. There is also a very interesting photo-plate section. The end result is a review with conclusions which has credibility, but it is also an absorbing tale that rivals the finest creations of fictional characters. By his own standards, Canaris was a patriot. He was not convinced of the suitability of Hitler as a national leader and appears to have taken exception to many of the acts of the Nazi Government. Finally he was arrested and killed, suspected of a part in the plots to kill Hitler, not least the attempt to blow him up. If he was involved, he would have shared with many German officers a belief that Hitler had to go if there was to be any chance of an acceptable peace treaty, let alone any prospects of German victory. There are tantalizing fragments of information that suggest this may have been the core of his story but we will probably never really know. There are indications that Canaris was working with the Allies but this can also never be proven conclusively. He could as easily have been a classic spy master, weaving an incredible web to deceive his enemies at home and abroad. He was always distrusted by Himmler and the Abwehr was a natural competitor for Himmler's SD. This meant that there were multiple inter-locking webs woven by those who would seek to destroy Canaris. Many of the surviving fragments of information may well be false. This is a great book to work through and it provides an enthralling story of plot and counter plot.